March 23rd is National Puppy Day; a day to celebrate the love that puppies bring to our lives. Whether you have a dog or not, most people agree that puppies are pretty stinking cute. Enjoy reading about puppies without having to take care of them with these books for all ages.
Some inspiring true stories, try Giant George by Dave Nasser. He started as the irresistible runt of the litter, but grew into the world’s largest dog. Though he was 5 feet tall and 7 feet long, George was a true gentle giant. The Year of the Puppy by Alexandra Horowitz is indispensable to anyone navigating the amusing and frustrating first year of a puppy’s life. This scientific memoir follows new puppy Quid from birth to his home new home with humans, and through his first year of life.
Looking for fictional stories that feature puppies and dogs? Try A New Leash on Love by Debbie Burns for a romance between fiery Megan who works at an animal shelter and Craig, the human counterpart to an adorable puppy. Craig needs help with his puppy, but didn’t expect to get help rescuing his heart. The Fashion Hound Murders by Elaine Viets is a cozy mystery. Josie Marcus has been hired to check out a big pet store's involvement with puppy mills. When an employee who clued her into the mill’s existence shows up dead, Josie realizes that sinking her teeth into this case could mean getting bitten back. David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series is a legal thriller series where reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter (and his faithful golden retriever, Tara) are never short on new cases, but prefer working to save dogs. The series starts with Open and Shut.
For the kids in your life, there’s no shortage of puppy books. The classics come to mind like the Biscuit books by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell has books about him as a puppy. The Puppy Place series by Ellen Miles are chapter books and W. Bruce Cameron has a few puppy chapter books as well, such as Ellie’s Story about a search and rescue dog. Some other favorite puppy books are Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton, Bark, George by Jules Feiffer, and Please, Puppy, Please by Spike Lee.
Enjoy National Puppy Day with one of these books or the many more available with your Chatham Area Public Library Card.